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# bibliotheca vetior

| As one would expect, the library is full of shelves. The smell of parchment fills the air, along with the musky smell of old dust and the bitter tang of oak-gall ink. The room is in a complete mess. The rolls of parchment are jumbled together on the shelves in no apparent order, and most horizontal surfaces (including the floor) have further stacks of vellum and the occasional book. A sound of snoring emanates from behind one of the piles of books on the main table. It stops at the sound of footsteps, and a sleep-weary voice says "I'll be with you shortly. Just a few more minute's rest..."

Order of Hermes Faerie Lore Bestiary Miscellaneous

## Order of Hermes

- Druids and Diedne (104k) by Brian Fourdraine (added 13/2/00)
  This is a detailed article with a historically authentic treatment of druids. Druidic organisation, magic, teaching and beliefs are discussed. This leads to game mechanics for Diedne characters, and a discussion on how House Diedne is/was most likely integrated into the Order of Hermes.

- History of the Order of Hermes (47k) by Mark D F Shirley (added 14/3/99)
  This article is a fairly comprehensive description of the Order's history, upto and including the 11th century AD. The history differs from the canonical in some ways, most notably with the existence of Lesser Houses.

- House Diedne (40k) by Mark Hall (added 28/2/99)
  A comprehensive article detailing the exiled House of Diedne. Includes history, current status, rules for Diedne magi, outlook, druidic magic and druidic mystic companions.

- House Flambeau - an alternative view (14k) by Lucy Hewitt (added 28/2/99)
  A new take on the history and philosophy of House Flambeau.

- Societies and Factions (19k) by Mark D F Shirley (added 24/8/98)
  An article which describes several unique subsets of magi and Houses; formal groupings, secret societies and traditional lineages.

- Tribunals and their Boundaries (10k) by Mark D F Shirley (added 14/3/99)
  A description of the geographical extent of the Tribunals, with an accompanying map. These Tribunals differ somewhat from the canonical set. There's also a list of Tribunal officials.

- Vis Economy of the Order of Hermes (97k) by Andrew P Smith (added 14/3/99)
  An in-depth article in which the Primus of Verditius describes the patterns of vis harvesting, usage and trading throughout the Order. Includes details on a convoluted system of vis trading employed by House Verditius, and lists of vis exchange prices by Tribunal.

#### LINKS

- Authorities
  A list of who wrote the Authorities for the magical Arts, and some Knowledges.

- Calendar of the Meetings of the Tribunal of Stonehenge and the Order of Hermes
  From 1228 to 1298.

- The Code of Hermes
  Includes a brief commentary which is suitable for beginners.

- Daughters of Urbastis
  Description and Virtues for a cat-oriented secret society (as per The Mysteries).

- Houses of the Order of Hermes
  Information on a number of new Lesser Houses, plus variants of the starting templates for the original Houses.

- Lex Hermae
  The Code of Hermes in Latin.

- The Origins of Hermetic Magic
  An alternate history of Hermetic Magic, based on mythic, biblical, and historical information.

## Faerie Lore

- Faeries of the Novgorod Tribunal (18k) by Olaf Mahl (updated 14/3/99)
  This article describes a number of the different types of Fae to be found in this region. Includes complete stats.

- Towards a Map of Arcadia (24k) by Mark D F Shirley (added 24/10/98)
  A detailed essay written by a magus of Merinita which describes many of the unique realms within Arcadia. Includes a partial map based upon the principal correspondences.

#### LINKS

- Medieval Fairies: Now you see them, now you don't
  An article discussing the origin of faerie traditions and folklore.

## Bestiary

- The Book of Beasts (46k index, 568k total) by Timothy Ferguson (added 10/12/98)
  This is an entire on-line supplement, of nine chapters, which details everything you could possibly want to know about the animals of Mythic Europe, rules for enchanting familiars, information on incorporating familiars into your saga, beast creation rules and story ideas. Intended as a replacement for the Medieval Bestiary, there are details on over 100 creatures, both mythical and mundane. Chapter 2 is only available through Mythic Perspectives.

#### LINKS

- The Aberdeen Bestiary
  Images and descriptions of authentic texts concerning animals and mythical beasts.

- Encyclopedia of Monsters, Mythical Creatures and Fabulous Beasts
  This page has descriptions and images of many common mythical creatures.

- Fantastic Fish of the Middle Ages
  A medieval manuscript translated into modern English, covering fish both real and mythical, with period illustrations.

- Mythical Plants of the Middle Ages
  Descriptions of a half-dozen trees of legend.

## Miscellaneous

- Bibliography (8k) (updated 2/2/99)
  A list of books, fiction and non-fiction, which may be of use or interest to the Ars Magica player or storyguide. If you know of any worthwhile books not mentioned here, please add them to the list.

- Things Magi Might Want (3k) by Brian Fourdraine (added 13/2/00)
  Does your magus really have everything that money (or magic) can buy? A concise list of items that a magus or covenant might own, or desire to own.

#### LINKS

- Ars Magica Example Libraries
  This page contains a large number of randomly-generated Hermetic libraries, from very poor to outstanding collections of tomes.

- Ars Magica: Notes for Beginners
  A useful beginners guide. Note that it's based on 3rd edition, however.

- Ars Magica Product History
  Here you can find links to all Ars Magica products, organized by year.

- The Ars Magica Tutorial
  Do you know the right hand gestures for each Technique/Form? Test yourself here!

- Auras
  A description of the interaction between the Dominion, Jewish and Islamic Auras.

- Books of Lore
  This is a compiled list of book titles for Knowledges and Arts, both fictional and non-fictional. Most stats are 3rd edition, but there are notes for converting to 4th.

- Changes between 2nd and 3rd editions
  Commentary on and summary of the transition to the 3rd edition of the rulebook from the 2nd.

- Changes between 3rd and 4th editions
  Commentary on and summary of the transition to the latest edition of the rulebook.

- Combat Tactics for the Ars Magica Magus
  Some notes on spellcasting in combat.

- Designing Ars Magica Libraries
  Notes on stocking a Hermetic library, and typical book scores.

- Glossary
  Explanation of Ars Magica terminology - useful for the beginner.

- Mood Music for Ars Magica
  Notes on suggested background music.

- Spring Library
  An example starting library for a covenant.